Nazi Teachings: Anti-Jew

Hatred for the Jews was really nothing new in Europe.  For many years, Anti-Semitism was alive and well.  Along with this, Hitler and the Nazis were very upset about Germany's defeat in WWI.  "Hitler and the Nazis blamed the Jews for Germany's defeat, and for the economic troubles that followed".  It was their belief that "the Jews profited during times of high inflation because they owned so many shops and businesses."  Really, the Jews took up less than one percent out of the entire population of Germany.  But, during bad times, people want someone to blame, and for many Germans during this time, the Jews were that group (Bartoletti 50).  

Nazi propaganda was very strong during this time.  After one riot, the Nazis claimed that "the riots were an unplanned uprising in retaliation for the murder of a high ranking official by a Jew".  Really, these riots were carefully planned by the Nazi government.  Hitler Youth were persuaded that their actions against the Jews were right.  "Many [Hitler Youth] believed that the Jews deserved what they got" (Bartoletti 55). 

The Nazis went as far as changing the curriculums in schools.  Children were taught Aryan superiority and the inferiority of the Jewish race (Bartoletti 42).  In school, Aryan children were taught to identify Jews by their physical traits. 

The cover of the book "The Poisonous Mushroom" (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)

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